Two Biggies in Fantasy Pass Away - Robert Jordan & Madeline L'Engle

I'm coming to this very late, I know, but I had to make some remarks (nothing nasty, of course).

Robert Jordan died on September 17, 2007 of a rare blood disease called primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy, which caused the walls of his heart to thicken.

I enjoyed the first three books in his World of Time series, but I have to admit that I didn't care for the fourth book; I subsequently lost interest in the series. But...mucho others have continued to read the rest of the books, and more power - and kudos - to them.

This is what makes it so hard to break into fiction - it's so subjective!

My condolences to his wife and to those who worked with him.

Madeline L'Engle, who died on September 6, 2007, is generally known for A Wrinkle In Time, which was originally published in 1963. (Gadzooks, just a year before I was born! Yeah, I'm dating myself, but who cares?) I'll confess that I don't remember reading this as a kid. Is it possible I did? I suppose so, but the only story I remember reading from back then that made any sort of impression is one where I don't remember the name of the author, the title of it, nor the entire story.

Doesn't sound like a very good impression, eh?

Yet, I still have a sliver of it in my mind. It was about a young girl whose mother is a witch and keeps her locked up in a castle. It's possible that I'm confusing things, and that a witch rescues her.

But I digress.

From reading the above news story, it sounds to me like Ms. L'Engle was the female version of C. S. Lewis (I'm thinking of the Narnia series here), in that her stories were Christian allegory (for instance, Aslan, in Lewis' series, is obviously meant to be Jesus).

I wonder if her characters were as obvious as Lewis was in the Narnia books or if they were more like what J. R. R. Tolkien did in The Lord of the Rings.

Maybe I should pick up the book and find out for myself. :-)

My condolences to her family.

~Nancy Beck